Warhammer Quest

"Warhammer Quest" is an adventure board game created by Games Workshop and set in the "Warhammer Fantasy" fictional universe. The core rules allowed players to explore dungeons, which were randomly generated, and fight monsters, also randomly generated. The more advanced and optional rules (192 pp) expanded the game with many elements of role-playing games, including the use of a gamesmaster.

The Party

The game is cooperative in nature, with the four characters, a Barbarian, Elf, Wizard and Dwarf having to work together to survive. A group of Warriors working together is known as a party. The party embarks on missions called adventures, usually with some specific objective in mind.

It is entirely possible to play with any number of Warriors and there is no actual requirement to take one each of the Warrior types. For example, the players are free to take parties made up of three Dwarfs or a party of a Barbarian, two Wizards and an Elf. The expanded rules included in the Roleplay Book detail an extra type of Warrior, the Dwarf Trollslayer, who can be added to the party or used to replace one of the existing characters. However, by not including one type of Warrior, you lose access to that character's unique abilities.

Survival odds are improved by discovering, capturing, collecting and purchasing extra weaponry and equipment. These range from the basic provisions, bandages, leather armour and short swords all the way to magic weapons, muskets and meteoric armour. Equipment which is more useful for role-playing adventures such as door spikes, ropes, warhorses and even property purchases are also covered by the rules.

Training and Advancement

Warriors are able to "level up" as in many RPGs. This is accomplished through training, which can only take place when the Warriors have earned enough money to pay for it. Training represents the "bringing together" of everything they have learned in their battles so far under the tutelage of a vastly more experienced Warrior. It improves a Warrior's basic stat-line and they are able to learn new skills, spells and abilities. At higher levels, Warriors gain the ability to deal more basic damage using their hand-to-hand and shooting attacks. This represents the Warriors' ability to identify weak spots or their generally improving skill with their chosen weapons.

Training is vital for survival, as the Warriors are often outmatched by their enemies, and many of the more powerful monsters can slaughter an entire party of Warriors in a single turn. Because of this, it is not usually recommended for Warriors to face monsters of a higher level than their own.

A Warrior's level is called his "Battle-level." The highest Battle-level is 10. Although this may not seem high in relation to video game RPGs, it takes a great deal of hard work, determination and luck to survive this long.

The dominant Battle-level in the party (as in, the Battle-level of the majority of Warriors within the party) determines the Dungeon level. This in turn will indicate which types of creature the Warriors will encounter on their adventures.

The Monsters

All of the hostile creatures encountered by Warrior parties are known under the collective name of "Monsters." Practically the entire range of Warhammer creatures of the time were included in the Bestiary section of the Roleplay Book. Monsters are broadly divided into the following species:

* Chaos
* Chaos Dwarf
* Dark Elf
* Monsters (creatures with no specific affiliation e.g. Gorgons and Dragons)
* Orcs & Goblins
* Skaven
* Undead

Lizardmen are the only major race not to feature in the game. Even had their army list been developed when Warhammer Quest was released, cold-blooded lizard people from the unknown West are unlikely to be found in catacombs beneath the Empire.

Monsters are encountered according to the current Dungeon level. For example, a small group of Orcs with bows might present a challenge to Battle-level 1 Warriors but would not last long against a very experienced Party. At higher levels an Orc Shaman riding a Wyvern, a group of Ogres, a Gigantic Spider or any one of a hundred other horrors might be encountered instead. The truly dreaded creatures such as Dragons, Vampires and Skaven Verminlords do not appear until the highest Dungeon levels.

Warrior parties usually encounter Monsters of the same level as themselves. This is necessary, for Warriors can find higher-level Monsters very difficult or even impossible to destroy. For example, a level 10 Great Unclean One would rampage through a party of level 5 Warriors, and would not be remotely defeatable unless the party happened to possess extraordinary weapons and skills.

Production history

The original "Warhammer Quest" box set was released in 1995 after "Advanced HeroQuest" had gone out of production. A number of expansion packs were released for the game. "Lair of the Orc Lord" added extra Orc models and Orc-themed boards and adventures. "Catacombs of Terror" added extra Undead models and Undead-themed boards and adventures. "Pits and Traps" included a number of new board sections and card markers, but was only available through mail order. There were also a number of "Warrior Packs", which added new warriors to the game, and "Card Packs"' which each added 54 new treasure cards to the game. Finally, a number of blank event cards were available.

Extra ideas, scenarios and card floorplans were published in "White Dwarf" over the two years following release. In addition, Fanatic published 3 issues of "Deathblow", a gaming magazine exclusively focussed on "Warhammer Quest". Deathblow introduced new characters, as well as publishing new scenarios and modelling articles.

List of "Warrior Packs"

*Imperial Noble
*Elf Wardancer
*Troll Slayer
*Witch Hunter
*Pit Fighter
*Elf Ranger
*Chaos Warrior
*Warrior Priest
*Bretonnian Knight

Additional characters were available through mail order

*Halfling Thief
*Kislevite Shaman

The Ogre was printed in the Citadel Journal, but was probably originally intended as a Warrior Pack, as he was mentioned in the Wardancer rulebook

ee also

*"Dungeonquest"
*"HeroQuest (board game)"
*"Warhammer"
*Games Workshop

External links

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